H8TR's Outlaw Dyna

HHonestly, I don't know what to call these bikes. Obviously not choppers and God forbid someone call one a bobber. I'll settle for "Club Style" since the first ones I noticed were ridden by certain 1%er club members. Those early ones were FXR's, but have since evolved into Harley's venerable Dyna. Since the hit TV show Sons of Malarky came out it seems like the things are everywhere. In Daytona earlier this year, Roadside Marty had the only one that I noticed. Otherwise, it appeared that the trend hadn't taken off with the fervor that is has here in California. Since several guys I know have either sold off their choppers entirely or added a Club Style Dyna to their stable of bikes, I figured it would be good to look into the formula. Chop Cult member H8TR just dumped a fortune into his, and it looks the business.

The evolution of the Club Style bike is something I'll have to speculate on, I'm surely no expert on the subject and if you have science to share feel free to add comments at the bottom of this article. As I imagine it, law enforcement probably used modern vehicle code violations to help put an end to outlaws riding choppers. OK, maybe not an end, but riders had to feel the weight of new requirements; turn signals, helmets, baffled-pipes and all the things good choppers generally don't have. So while enthusiasts can get away with getting a fix-it ticket or a little harassment here and there, a real outlaw wants to avoid contact with the law as much as possible. I would imagine the same theory could be applied to the old bike thing–who wants to wait on the dude with the cranky magneto when some important shit is going down and you could just have a push-button and get the hell out of Dodge? Enter the FXR. I'm a nerd, not an outlaw, but I happen to love mine, and I know several other guys who do too. At the time, the FXR's frame, rubber-mounted engine and other Eric Buell designs were revolutionary and looked different enough from a regular HD that the Motor Company eventually quit making them entirely. But, on this platform the formula for a modern hot rod club bike was born. Fast, good handling, reliable and easily modified for more performance. Small fairings and other pro-street elements made their way onto a lot of FXR's in the 80's and 90's and it's no surprise that the best looking bits of the pro-street days continued onto the Dynas, though thankfully they are usually black and subdued rather than the garish paint from a couple decades ago.

So, what makes a "Club Style" bike these days? In broad strokes I'd say this is the list: Dyna FXDX with gauges intact, Thunderheader, performance mods, tall risers with low bars, fairing, steering stabilizer, seat with some kick in the back and as much black as possible. In theory, every modification must be rooted in something practical or performance-oriented, nothing superfluous – and therein lies the beauty of these bikes. Even the fantasy outlaw scenario of "I don't know, it was an all-black bike, dude had on an all-black full-face helmet" makes it possible raise hell with a certain amount of anonymity. I will reserve judgement on the riders of these bikes, surely some are legit badasses and some just like to play dress-up, but either way the machines built in this purposeful style are fast, fun and look tough as nails.

I nailed down h8tr right after he got his bike back from Mackie up in Ventura. He made me ride it. He's a big guy, so who am I to say decline? I love railing around like a crackhead on my FXR but this Dyna will stomp my mostly stock 80" in a heartbeat. This particular Dyna sits a little high for me, but like I said, h8tr's a large dude and it fits him perfectly. The tall risers would take some getting used to for me, and honestly, I don't get the point of these much. A lower bar seems more performance oriented and fits through tight traffic easier. Is there a legit reason for the height? I get the tall risers and flat bars, with apes this size they would be wider and slip in the risers under heavy cornering. Other than one simple ergonomic complaint, this machine is glorious to ride. Full throttle runs will loft the tire easily and for a heavy bike the suspension and brakes feel up to the task. Over 90mph, the tail wags a bit, but h8tr's already got plans to get that dialed.

I bought this bike after I sold my 1980 Shovel (see current issue of Greasy Kulture). I wanted something that would start and ride easily. My buddy, Mike D from Blotto Parts had an FXDX and loved it. So, I hunted around until I found a good base bike and went from there. It's a bike built for a purpose, a utility... beat it, thrash it, ride it hard and fast and whenever I want to. It's really fun to ride, it's loud and fast and does wheelies. Mike D sold his FXDX two days after I got this back from Dave Mackie, so now you'll see me cruising with a sexy red Ducati Hypermotard. Kind of an odd pair, but it seems fitting.

the norm for bikes such as these is to keep as much of the stock stuff as possible..that way it's all easily serviceable at any dealership or indy shop in between towns or out of state. You have an issue with a sweet looking brembo or pm brake setup or levers or some crazy wired aftermarket switch housing 300 mi from home and Crazy Cooters H-D House in Podunk probably won't be able to help ya..he'll have a box of stock stuff though.

Good timely article. I ride a pretty much blacked out FXDB (Street Bob), it is nimble in traffic, has loads of power, and has drawn positive comments from everyone from old time baggers to lady joggers.

ive seen a couple guys ridin bikes just like this where i live. some gnarly bikes and even gnarlier dudes. when they say these things will pull up on one wheel, thats no lie. saw a guy the other day pull away from a group of crotch rockets like they were mopeds.

Belongs in everybody's garage, beside the quirky old handmade custom deathtrap. We'd have to redistribute the country's wealth to make it possible :-)
Making a lot of other good things possible at the same time. Like secure retirement, universal healthcare etc ;-)

These are all over Hollywood and I like 'em a lot. If I had money for a second bike this would be fun as hell to minor mod, clip on new shit. I just wish the whole thing was a little lower, ya know? The back wheel looks like a dirtbike or something. But not hatin' here, the bike looks crazy fun and slick as a greasy weasel.

I respect the time and dmoney guys are putting into these bikes, but its a fad I just don't get. Is it cuz of Sons of Anarchy? I don't know, but "club bikes" seems to be a Cali fad that I'd be surprised to see it go East beyond San Berdo County line.

I like the look, but where I get totally lost is that guys are setting these up to "handle" then they put ridiuclasly high t-bars or 10" risers..... to each their own I guess (hell I ride and love Evo Softails, so who am I to say anything about anything).

What I want to see this trend evolve into is cafe Dynas, Sportbike influenced Dynas, etc. How about a Dyna with rear sets, clip ons, radial brakes, JMC swingarm, Ohlins suspension, Marchisini wheels..... now THAT is a trend I would follow.

This style may be popular now because of certain TV shows, but make no mistake, it was around long before and will most likely be around after. The great thing about this style is that it is all-purpose. Done right, they are untouchable in proper hands.

I saw a Dyna set up pretty similar at the local shop but with Excel rims, heavy spokes, chain drive, Ohlins shocks and to top it all off...a TC124". Probably the baddest Dyna I have ever seen. I believe it was the VP of a local club who rode it, and I was told he beats the living shit out of it on a regular basis.

The Key words in this is "Purpose Built" I got talked into this setup 4 years ago or so from some guys in Santa Cruz. I don't like the club bike label, but from my understanding it's the clubs that 1st started setting these up this way so why not give them the credit. It's all about utility. At 1st it was hard getting used to the look until I got on it and realized it's not about the look. It's about making a HD ride and run the best it can. The look grows on you once you've ridden it.

Next steps on mine is to stiffen and raise the suspension another 1.5 or 2 inches. I'm 250lbs and need a little more room for curb hopping and a little more height for the corners to keep the exhaust from scraping.

I grew up on the westcoast and have seen these style of bikes for years and yes the riders of them when I was young were club memebers. My dad is 70+ and has been riding all his life and I remember seeing these as a 10-15 year old boy riding dirt. The "show" has taken a cool bike and made it lame.Most have no clue what this bike is ment for ride hard, long, fast, and have it not break down. All the wannabe guys are now building them because they are a cool bike but when you talk to most they have no clue what the diffrence is between a Dyna and FXR let alone a pan, shovel, evo, and twin cam! If you ride a bike like this you need to know what you have cuz someone just may call you a SOA fag and expect you to know what you are riding and it best not be all about looks!

just got the same (stock) bike to start on over the next year or so... fits me much better than a flyrite sporty frame. i love how no matter what scene youre into and no matter how old you are, there will always be people who talk shit. its cool, those guys will stay lame. this featured bike rips, im sure its fun to ride....good on ya h8tr!

something be said about not being run off the road by soccer moms in suburbans. Maybe I'm gettin old but being able to stop in a short distance or get on the freeway at speed are things I value these days. Dynas a good platform to start with if your into such things...Ducatis a better platform but we'll save that for another article...

"Ducatis a better platform but we'll save that for another article..."

I gotta wonder..considering how few there are of the higher performance
Ducatis it's funny how I keep seeing them going home on the back of flatbeds.
On Highway 35, near Alice's etc. The rest of the bikes i see down there on the same flatbeds are generally there because they've been crashed.

The 2 valve per cylinders Monsters otoh by reputation are more reliable than the 4 valve and are certainly initially lower-cost than Dynas, at least in CA.

We saw a hypermotard outside Century Cycles in San Pedro today. Looked like a Cushman frame, Mustang tank, and a Honda 50 engine. Then some guy came up on what appeared to be a Taiwanese knock off of a Honda 70 with a crab pot mounted over the rear wheel and made into the gas tank. I love this crazy shit as much as the show bikes it is just a different genre. Someday I am going to buy a camera just so I can post pictures of the goofy stuff on here. The first one will be the "horse" bike of Fallbrook.

Don't panic, tomorrow morning brings a world class custom, and another one on Wednesday, maybe even some chopper-specific tech on Friday...

Actually less negative comments than I anticipated, which I think shows the diversity of members on here. This type of bike might not be everyone's cup of tea, but is still worth investigating no matter what you are into.

I never did get an answer on the tall riser/flat bar position. It's the one thing I can't find a performance or practical source for. Why not a motocross type bar with this set up? Is it just style?

Not sure if this answer is correct, but it's correct for me. I have the T-bars from the bung king (bungking.com) who sets up many of the club riders in the bay area.

They're strong, Little to no play and the position is comfortable for the long haul. I think the motocross bar idea would be sweet but I think if you drop a 600 lbs on them the current setup will hold up a little better.

Sharky, thanks for the comment. I guess it's the high position that makes it comfortable on the highway like a low ape but in a set up that is narrower and has no twisting like a riser/bar combo typically would. Moto bars might be better for cornering but not as comfortable for long highway miles.

It has high bars for comfort. But the straight drag bars are 28", quite a bit more narrow than apes. I'd love MX bars, but they're typically 1-1/4" bars, so that makes mounting the gauge cluster difficult and/or expensive.